Author: Sarah Janisse Brown

Is Fun-Schooling Enough for Students to Go From Homeschool to College?

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 3 Comments

“I love this approach, my children are delighted to learn. I’ve never seen them light up like this before with schoolwork. But is it enough for them to get into college?” I’ve answered dozens, if not hundreds, of messages like this from mothers over the years. We’ve seen many Fun-Schoolers successfully go from Homeschool to College. While our students can’t walk into their high school guidance counselor’s office, today we’ll offer a few tips and resources for your college-bound student.

To Dos for College Bound Homeschoolers

First and foremost, make sure you know your state/country’s legal High School requirements. Your child’s ability to graduate with a valid diploma depends on ensuring the proper laws are followed. We have found the HSLDA to be an irreplaceable resource for understanding your local laws. This is good research to do in between 8th and 9th grade before your student starts high school.

Next, check with the school(s) your student plans to apply to. You can’t start too early. Freshman or Sophomore year is a good time to start looking. Ask specifically for resources for homeschooled students. As home education has grown in the last few years, many Universities provide guides for what they’re looking for from kids who didn’t attend traditional school. Also ask about standardized tests, prerequisites, and credit requirements for admissions.

Ensure you know how to write a strong transcript and assign credits. Last year we wrote a comprehensive guide to doing this as a Fun-Schooler. Don’t forget about volunteer work, jobs, clubs, athletics, etc. when considering what to include on this transcript!

How does Fun-Schooling prepare a student to go from homeschool to college?

One of the biggest advantages we’re giving our children through Fun-Schooling is teaching them how to learn vs teaching them how to study. Schools teach kids to study for a test and memorize rote information. We ignite a love of learning in our children which helps store the information for the long-haul. Fun-Schooling parents with kids in college have told us how impressed professors are with students’ abilities to learn and hold onto information vs spitting it out for a test and then forgetting it.

Fun-Schooled students often work above their “grade level,” and in many cases can test out of courses once they get into college as well. By giving them a chance to deep dive into their passions and providing them with a broad feast for learning, they’ll often come into college able to knock out several courses before they even begin.

Don’t fear “gaps.” All students come into college with gaps, it’s impossible to learn everything we are taught! Students can take courses at a community college if there’s something specific they have to have in order for admission. Once they’re in school, they are so well equipped to know how to learn that they’ll be perfectly capable of filling in any gaps. Check out this post for a few other thoughts on gaps.

Tips from Fun-Schooling Moms

Here are a few tips from Moms who have Fun-Schooled and then seen their kids go from homeschool to college-

  • Jennifer- “Better to be over on transcript than have no idea what you’re doing!”
  • Samantha- ” If one college is asking for you to jump through outrageous hoops because you’re home educated then try another. Some schools require FAFSA even if you don’t qualify for financial based aid in order to issue and awards and merit. Make sure any dual enrollment you do will actually transfer, not all do. Look out for free application days through common app or the schools.”
  • Laura- “Start in 7th grade with your child investigating careers, what degrees are required for various degrees, do they need an AA/AS or a BA/BS, or will they need to go onto grad school, etc. Have them start with state schools and examine entrance requirements and degrees offered — if they are interested in social work but looking at a school that doesn’t offer that program, then they know to cross that off their list. Have them look at what courses are required in majors of interest — if Calculus 3 is going to be required and the student detests math, then there is a need to reevaluate plans or learn to enjoy math 😉. Once the students have researched, work with them to set up their high school plans, coordinate courses the college requires for admission, state homeschool requirements, and any additional passions they wish to pursue. Explore dual enrollment options in your area – some states provide free or reduced rates for high school students taking dual enrollment at local community colleges. Explore study skills – while some kids intuitively know how to study, take notes, etc., others need step-by-step instructions in things like Cornell Notes and the SQ3R method for reading a text. The majority of post-secondary schools are only concerned with transcripts listing course titles and grades/GPA and test scores. Still, others, particularly private or smaller schools, might ask for course descriptions, lists of books read, etc., so it’s always a good idea throughout high school to have your student keep a running doc of books read. While some schools are test optional now for admission, some states or colleges still use test scores to qualify for merit money. I always recommend taking the SAT and ACT once and then re-taking the one they scored highest on. There are plenty of free or low-cost options to study for the SAT/ACT, so there is no need to pay hundreds of dollars for test prep classes. Using the Thinking Tree Journals is great prep because it helps the student take ownership of their learning and teaches them to read, watch, listen, explore, and then record their viewpoints. I will put a plug in for exploring Purdue Owl, how to cite appropriately in both MLA and APA papers, and the importance of using recognized sources – not just google searches and Wikipedia 😉. Help your student learn to find resources for topics they don’t understand in their math or science, such as Quizlet, crash course videos, or other YouTube videos. If your student is not accustomed to using a TI83/84 calculator, then have them use YouTube videos to learn the basics. Make sure by the end of Junior year that your student knows the application dates, particularly at more selective colleges. Some colleges use application dates for things like housing priority, etc. If you have a student with a documented disability, you’ll want to apply for accommodations to the ACT and College Board (SAT) by the end of the 10th for testing in 11th. Your student should also reach out to potential college Accessibility Offices to determine documentation requirements to apply for college accommodations and to inquire about typical accommodations offered to students with disabilities similar to them. If your student has a disability, it is also wise to begin learning to use certain devices or resources such as Learning Ally and Bookshare, Livescribe pens, notability, screen reading software, speech-to-text, Grammarly, etc. In addition, it is a good idea for them to role-play requesting accommodations and how to approach professors once approved by the accessibility office if the student is not already accustomed to requesting accommodations and discussing their needs and how their disability impacts them.”
  • Rosanna- “Just because a college says something on their website doesn’t mean it’s what they do AND sometimes they have things NOT on the website they want- we applied to one school that said we needed to submit a full list of all materials studied /books used, and test scores for Homeschooled students- our girl was accepted and although she opted to NOT go there this year, they never asked for any of that info. Also, private schools can also be as cost effective as public universities because they give tons of scholarships. Take advantage of school visit days if you are close, because they often give scholarships for that- my son had a $1000 knocked off his tuition for going to the full day event. Another $1000 for having a friend who was an alumni write a letter of recommendation. If your kids are ready, dual enrollment is a great way to cut cost- if they know what they want to do and where they are headed ask for a list of comparison classes needed to transfer- our school has partnerships with 20+ schools in our state my son was able to print a list from his desired school of what classes he needed to take at his school to start his transfer with the proper credits. I wish I would have pushed a little harder for at least 1 class per quarter for my older two- in dual enrollment- it is free in our county/state except for lab fees and books- my last one will be taking advantage of it next year. I would say 1/2 of the students at the CC my daughter is starting at for her AA-Transfer degree are in Running Start (Our dual enrollment). ALWAYS fill out the FASFA- even if you have money saved – as said above it is used for more than grants. If your child has a diagnosed specific learning disability, know that many schools require a diagnostic test done in the last 3-5 years to access services … You also want to empower your student to advocate and talk to the staff as much as you can- they are the student, they are owning their new life and unless they sign paperwork to include you, you can’t even see their financial information, talk to anyone about anything at the school, etc. “
  • Elizabeth- “In my experience (have graduated 2 from homeschool) anything that was “missed” in homeschooling education can quickly be learned or they can take a class at community college to fill that gap…they will figure it out as long as they have a passion for learning and that is what funschooling does—it ignites their passion for learning and they have to take ownership of the learning”
  • Tammy- “Call the schools and talk to them about what they require and concerns you have! They want to help. My dyslexic daughter wrote a beautiful essay as one of her entrance essays about living with dyslexia. I think, we as parents worry too much sometimes about our kids when they will be perfectly fine. I know I had a melt down a few months ago, and you guys were amazingly encouraging! Unschool on my fellows moms and dads! keep going!”

Find out what journals college-bound homeschoolers most love to use in this post–

More tips for college-bound homeschoolers

About the Author- Amanda Osenga is a Fun-Schooling mom in Columbus Ohio. She is also the social media manager and Virtual Assistant for Thinking Tree. Her family combines Thinking Tree books with the Charlotte Mason method using books from Ambleside Online and Wildwood Curriculum. In her free time, Amanda is an avid reader and loves to be outdoors.

Struggling Homeschooler to Delighting in Marine Biology

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Today Heather P. shares with us how Fun-Schooling transformed her daughter’s homeschooling. Her daughter went from an unmotivated learner to diving into studying Marine Biology. She wouldn’t write a sentence and now she’s making her own book!

We had homeschooled for almost 3 years before trying out Fun-Schooling books in February. My oldest has always been incredibly bright, but school was a struggle every day. She loves to read but always hated writing. It was a fight every day to try to get her to write anything for school.

For the last 3 years, she has dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. When I surprised her with the marine biology Fun-Schooling book she had such a look of joy on her face. Soon she was wanting to write down her findings about the different marine animals.

Now she will even write her own stories, poems, etc outside of the Fun-Schooling books. 1 year ago she would fight me to write one sentence. Now she is writing her own graphic novel. After seeing how much she loved the marine biology book I also got her the all about sharks and all about dolphins books. She loves all 3 and is working through all of them right now.

We use a membership to the aquarium, documentaries on curiosity stream, a podcast called big deep, and just about every ocean book our local library has lol.

——————————————————————————————————————

Thanks, Heather for sharing your daughter’s journey with us.

Find the journals her daughter is using below as well as our other Fun-Schooling Marine Biology journals.

Find more tips for Fun-Schooling reluctant learners in these posts-

Sarah’s Mom Tips: Two Questions to Jump Start Your Fun-Schooling
Start With the End Goal
How to Inspire Your Children to Read

Top Journals for Dyslexic Homeschoolers

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

Selecting materials for homeschooling a child with Dyslexia doesn’t have to be hard. We have over 300 journals written with a Dyslexia-friendly font. Your student can study all the required subjects and anything else they’re interested in.

While all of our journals are Dyslexia-friendly, we’ve found a few that are especially popular for Dyslexic kids- and adults.

Dyslexia Games

This is our most popular option for Dyslexia. It’s even used in schools and therapy centers. Not only does it help with symptoms of Dyslexia, it also helps with math, spelling, handwriting, logic, creative thinking skills, and more. Students may sometimes need to repeat a series, this is ok!

We offer three series-

Dyslexia Games Series A

Designed for use by new and struggling readers. Ages 5-8 is the most common age this series is used.
Is Series A for my child?
Can your child consistently read three letter words?  If not, Series A is the place to start, otherwise go for Series B to start.

Dyslexia Games Series B

For students who have foundational reading skills and struggle with grade-level reading/writing/spelling.

Is Series B for my child?

Can your child consistently read three letter words?  If so, Series B is where to start, otherwise, begin with Series A.
*After completing Series B, the student should no longer have reading confusion and will be ready for any normal curriculum or Series C.
*Students over 9 years old with serious spelling problems, should complete both Series B & C, but will not need Series A.

Dyslexia Games Series C

Students, and adults, who have problems with spelling, reading, writing, or math.

Is Series C best for my child?

Most dyslexic students over twelve years old can start with Series C and do not need to use Series A or B first. Some profoundly dyslexic 12+ year olds, may need to start at series C.

Dyslexia-Friendly Homeschool Curriculum Bundles

We have worked hard to carefully cultivate nine different curriculum bundles for homeschooled Dyslexic students. These contain everything your student needs for an entire year, including Dyslexia Games and suggested lesson plans.

While these each have a suggested grade, students can go up or down a couple of grades with no problems. If they see a bundle that delights their interest more and it’s not their “grade,” that’s fine. Make sure they’re getting the correct level of Dyslexia Games.

All of the journals in these bundles are also available individually via Amazon and most are available a PDFs on our website.

Peek Inside These Journals-

Check out our peek-inside video of a few of these journals from our private Facebook group.

Make sure to check out part 1-Homeschooling A Child With Dyslexia- Tips to Keep it Fun

COUPON CODES

Buy One Get one FREE Dyslexia Games
until October 12th with code
B1G1MC&DG2023
OR 25% off with code DyslexiaMonth2023 until October 31st
at https://www.funschooling.com/dyslexia-games

Buy One Get one FREE on all PDFs
until October 12th with code
B1G1funschoolingPDFs
at https://www.funschooling.com/bookstore-all-pdfs

More About Fun-Schooling With Dyslexia

Disclaimer- The content of this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. Please seek advice from your healthcare provider for your personal health concerns prior to making any changes for yourself or your child.

About the Author- Amanda Osenga is a Fun-Schooling mom in Columbus Ohio. She is also the social media manager and Virtual Assistant for Thinking Tree. Her family combines Thinking Tree books with the Charlotte Mason method using books from Ambleside Online and Wildwood Curriculum. In her free time, Amanda is an avid reader and loves to be outdoors.

Homeschooling a Child with Dyslexia | Tips to Keep it Fun

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

Homeschooling has grown by leaps and bounds the last few years. In fact, some areas have seen an increase of more than 400% since 2019. Students with learning challenges, disabilities, and special needs make up a significant portion of this growth. Families realizing during the pandemic how much better their kids did at home, and decided to keep them there. Homeschooling a child with Dyslexia is by far the top learning disability we help families with. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available to help Dyslexic students.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning disability impacting the ability to read. Students struggle to process letters and the sounds associated with letters. The most well-known manifestation is the inability to distinguish the difference between d/p/b/q. Children with Dyslexia may also describe letters on the page as “wiggly” or “moving.” Struggles with spelling, rhyming, letter names, phonics, and letter position are also common.

It is estimated 10-20% of people have Dyslexia. Other learning disabilities or challenges such as ADD/AHD are often present as well. Genetics also plays a part as it seems to run strongly in families. Proper diagnosis and identification has been increasing in the last decade. Most children are diagnosed between 2nd-3rd grade unless they are profoundly dyslexic.

Adaptations and tips for Homeschooling a Child With Dyslexia

While it cannot be “cured,” homeschooling a child with Dyslexia gives you a unique opportunity to teach your child how to learn in spite of their challenges. In many cases, students no longer have symptoms of Dyslexia after they have homeschooled for a while- especially when they complete Dyslexia Games.

Dyslexia Games is always our recommended “first stop.” This is the Dyslexia therapy program that started our company! You can read more about the creation of Dyslexia Games here. We have had thousands of students and adults complete this program and either reduce or eliminate their symptoms. The Dyslexic brain is strongly right-brained. When we can tap into that art-based mind, students are able to learn more efficiently. You’ll find art incorporated in everything we make because it has so many benefits for all kids!

Provide plenty of breaks, processing time, and rest. Your student has to work extra hard to process the words on the page in front of them. This can lead to fatigue and overwhelm. Families have found it to be helpful to give students a break in between reading/writing tasks and to vary activities.

Audiobooks can be a lifesaver- both for Mom and kids. They can serve a couple purposes. One, to help your child take in information without needing to look at words on a page. Two, to give your student a chance to listen while they follow along in a book. Families homeschooling a child with Dyslexia usually utilize audiobooks for both purposes depending on age, severity of dyslexia, and season of life. Librivox is a popular option for free audiobooks, as well as your local library.

Utilize a “cut out.” This involves taking a piece of paper- heavier cardstock works best- and cutting a “window” in it. Providing this “window” helps reduce the amount of visual stimulation on the page. Start out with a smaller window. They will move this along as they read/complete their work. You can gradually increase the size of the window over time until they no longer need it.

View it as a gift! Can it be frustrating? Yes. And your child sees the world unlike other children- this is a gift. Most dyslexic children are extremely creative, artistic, and passionate. If you help them to view it as a gift rather than a hindrance, you’ll open up the world for them.

Building a Learning Plan/ Curriculum for Dyslexia

If your student was in public or private school for a while, you may want to start with a period of de-schooling. Children with learning disabilities and special needs often have trauma and/or bad experiences in school. The de-schooling period allows them to reset their nervous systems a bit and recognize things will be different.

We suggest letting Dyslexic students do a deep dive into their interests while completing Dyslexia Games. As mentioned above, these are extremely creative kids with big ideas. If they are allowed to study their interests, they’ll blow you away! Plus, they’re more motivated to learn when they are studying something they’re interested in. You can use one of our core journals to cover all the required academic subjects while diving into their interests.

It’s often best to start out slow and build from there. Some Dyslexic students thrive with variety in their materials, while others shut down. Start out with one or two journals and 4-6 books to use alongside them. At least one of the books could be an audiobook they just get to listen to. Another book could be an audiobook they follow-along with. Only add more as your child expresses interest/desire for more.

Make good use of Dyslexia-Friendly fonts in your homeschool materials. All of our journals use the Dyslexie font for easier reading. You can also find books and e-readers with this, or a similar font, available.

Don’t forget to stagger activities throughout your homeschool day. For example, squeeze in a 5-minute movement break in between language arts and history. Many families like to start with Dyslexia Games and then listen to an audiobook. Try to avoid having reading or writing tasks back-to-back, let them color a picture or do math or science in between.

Homeschooling a child with Dyslexia will open your child up to a whole new world. There is lots of support out there for you and your child. Check out our private Facebook group, Homeschooling Kids with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and ADHD to connect with other families and get more tips.

Wondering about the top journals for kids with Dyslexia? Check out this post to find out
& learn more about Dyslexia Games

COUPON CODE

Buy One Get one FREE Dyslexia Games
until October 12th with code
B1G1MC&DG2023
OR 25% off with code DyslexiaMonth2023 until October 31st
at https://www.funschooling.com/dyslexia-games

Learn more about Homeschooling a child with Dyslexia

Dyslexia Games FAQs
The Gift of Dyslexia
Dyslexia Games- The “Brass Tacks”

Remember– This series is based on the average child with this learning challenge. We recognize most of these have a huge range of expression. This is intended to be a supportive overview.  The bell curve is extremely important to remember throughout this series. Some children will fall outside of this average. We’ve chosen to homeschool for a reason- so we can customize our children’s education to their unique academic level and needs This is especially important for children with special needs, medical concerns, and learning disabilities.

Disclaimer- The content of this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. Please seek advice from your healthcare provider for your personal health concerns prior to making any changes for yourself or your child.

About the Author- Amanda Osenga is a Fun-Schooling mom in Columbus, Ohio. She is also the social media manager and Virtual Assistant for Thinking Tree. Her family combines Thinking Tree books with the Charlotte Mason method using books from Ambleside Online and Wildwood Curriculum. In her free time, Amanda is an avid reader and loves to be outdoors.

Rodrigo Gains the Childhood He Was Missing Thanks to Dyslexia Games

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

Case Study by Heather Vaught

Name(s): Ten-year-old Rodrigo Astor – parents, Yessenia and Andy, and sister, Ciara

Location: Dundee, FL

Challenge(s): Rodrigo struggled in school due to dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and unspecified anxiety disorder.

How they discovered Thinking Tree Books: Yessenia searched “dyslexia curriculum” online.

Favorite Thinking Tree workbooks: Dyslexia Games, Series A, Book 2 (where Rodrigo experienced his first big breakthrough) and Book 6 (where Rodrigo is becoming a more independent reader).

“I’m really happy,” Rodrigo says. “I think Fun-Schooling is fun. One day we met Sarah Janisse Brown at a Barnes and Noble. She was so nice to me. She saw the work I was doing and said I was doing a good job. Sarah told me I was going to start reading in 3 months and I started reading. The first book I read all by myself, I told my mom, ‘I’ll do the easy words, you do the hard ones.’ I READ IT ALL BY MYSELF! My mom says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and I believe.”

“This says ‘ap-ple t-r-ee,’” sounded Rodrigo Astor.

“What?!” asked his mother, Yessenia.

“It says ‘apple tree,’” he repeated.

“Rod, you’re reading!” Yessenia exclaimed, and the tears began to flow.

Rodrigo gasped. He had read without mom’s help. “I can read!” he cried. “Sarah said I would be able to read!”

Most parents cheer the first time their child reads without help, but for Yessenia, this moment was a long time coming, and for Rodrigo, it was a major win.

A Rough Start

Rodrigo spent his first month of life in and out of the hospital. He experienced complications at birth, and at 20 days old, doctors gave him only 48 hours to live. 

Fortunately, Rodrigo beat those odds, but he was diagnosed with Hirschprung’s disease, a congenital disability in which nerves are missing from the intestine. Rodrigo underwent several biopsies, and at 30 days old, had a colostomy. 

Later, his appendix ruptured, requiring more hospital time. 

As a result of Rodrigo’s rough start, he suffered many developmental delays, including digestion and elimination issues and speech and language problems.

Choppy Waters Ahead

The early years  were filled with doctors’ appointments. Yet Rodrigo was able to start preschool in a mainstream classroom with an IEP (individualized education plan). However, the teachers were not able to give him the time and attention he needed, and he started to backslide. 

Kindergarten and first grade brought similar challenges. Rodrigo and his mom spent several hours daily on homework. Yessenia was concerned Rodrigo might have dyslexia. Teachers reassured her that many children struggle at his age and he’d hit his stride.

Rodrigo is STRONG, but he was reaching his breaking point.

“Mom, I’m frustrated! I can’t do this,” he cried. “My friends read. My friends are fast. I can’t. I don’t have time to play. I don’t have time to watch TV. I don’t have time to do anything.” 

Yessenia’s heart broke for her hard-working son. She hugged him and assured him that he didn’t need to compare himself to his friends. 

Then she had the idea to ask him what he saw while he was trying to read.

“The words are jumping. They just keep moving,” he replied. 

She reached out to school psychologist Gretchen Cabranes, who had been involved in Rodrigo’s IEP, to help navigate a new path. They researched homeschooling and how to transition in a way that would best support his needs.

Covid’s Silver Lining

Then Covid hit and suddenly everyone was homeschooling, including the Astors. Yessenia worked with Rodrigo throughout the day, and at last they had their evenings back.

When local schools reopened for in-person instruction, they were given a virtual option, which Yessenia gladly embraced. But school took all their time, and Rodrigo didn’t have time for a childhood.

Neurologist Dr. Avi Domintz-Gebet referred him for a neuropsychological evaluation at Bay Area Neuropsychology in Tampa. Rodrigo was diagnosed with ADHD-combined type, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and unspecified anxiety disorder. Finally, they had diagnoses to work with.

Yessenia and Gretchen Cabranes found many homeschooling resources they liked. They zeroed in on Dyslexia Games from Thinking Tree Books, created by Sarah Janisse Brown for her dyslexic daughter.

The Final Straw

Meanwhile, virtual school included daily meetings with Rodrigo’s teacher and classmates. When the teacher called on Rodrigo and he didn’t answer right away, she called on another student to help. He motioned to his mom to come turn the camera off, and then he burst into tears.

“I knew the answer!” he cried. “I just needed more time.”

Yessenia comforted Rodrigo, but in her heart, she was done. “That’s it,” she said to herself, “it’s time.” She began withdrawing Rodrigo from school and purchased Dyslexia Games to start their homeschooling journey.

“It was scary,” she says, “but deep down, I had confidence it would work. It worked for Sarah’s daughter, and I knew it would work for Rodrigo too.”

Her husband wasn’t so sure. He was born and raised in Puerto Rico and hadn’t heard of homeschooling. “Kids need to be in school,” he said. “They need socialization.”

Smooth Sailing at Last

Yessenia reassured her husband and plowed ahead. She loved the feeling she no longer had to rush, and Rodrigo loved Dyslexia Games. Peace filled their hearts and home.

When Sarah Janisse Brown was in Florida, she met with the Astors. Rodrigo was so excited to meet Sarah and tell her what he loved about her books. There was only one thing . . .

“I can’t read,” he confessed.

“Well, Rodrigo,” she replied, “I give you three months, and you will be able to read this note that I’m going to write for you.” She also gifted him the next level of Dyslexia Games.

Buoyed by Sarah’s encouragement and generosity, he continued to work hard. He surprised himself when he read without help for the first time. And then he remembered Sarah’s note. He was able to read that too!

Encouragement left in the back of Rodrigo’s Dyslexia Games journal for when he could read it himself one day!

A Day in the Life

These days, Rod does a few pages each day in his various Thinking Tree Books – Dyslexia Games, Brain Games, Math Craft, and a couple of Fun-Schooling journals. He also watches educational videos, and he loves to go to the library and get books.

Rodrigo is 5’3” at ten years old, “But, he feels even bigger,” Yessenia chuckles. “He’s so proud to tell everyone he meets that he can read.”

Big sister Ciara is happy to see that both her mom and Rodrigo are less stressed. “I see a difference in him, I mean he even read over me once,” she says. “He read my text messages. I couldn’t believe him. I was like ROD, OH NO!” 

He’s good with numbers too. Recently, he offered to help Ciara with her calculus homework. “I’m slow, but I’m good!” he says.

Rodrigo’s dad Andy doesn’t worry as much as he used to. He’s seen Rodrigo is less stressed and has improved in his expressions and focus. He was impressed when Rodrigo helped him fix something he was working on. He sees many families homeschooling nowadays. “I say to myself, ‘this is good,’” he smiles.

Finally, Rodrigo has time to do fun things–like horseback riding, participating on a swim team with his sister, playing baseball, playing drums, connecting with other kids in his Funschooling Co-op, and taking lots of field trips. He gets more socialization now than when he was in public school.

Yessenia’s Tips for Parents

  • “Believe in yourself and your child. My faith is huge. God gave us the abilities and tools we need to teach our children.”
  • “Do the research. Dig in and don’t be afraid. Find something that works for you. For us,  it was Dyslexia Games.”
  • “Ask for help. There was someone in your place before, and if not, you will be that person for someone else.”

COUPON CODE

Buy One Get one FREE Dyslexia Games
until October 12th with code
B1G1MC&DG2023
OR 25% off with code DyslexiaMonth2023 until October 31st
at https://www.funschooling.com/dyslexia-games

Buy One Get one FREE on all PDFs
until October 12th with code
B1G1funschoolingPDFs
at https://www.funschooling.com/bookstore-all-pdfs

Learn more about the program that helped Rodrigo
How Dyslexia Games came to exist
Learn more about Dyslexia Games
Dyslexia Games FAQs
After Dyslexia Games, What Next?!?

Mom of 15: I Followed My Passions and Discovered This…

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

Before the kids came along, I considered myself an artist, a writer, and a traveler. I was filling my life with art, creativity, and wonder. I used to travel Europe selling jewelry and art to fund my passions.

After becoming a mother, my passion became my children. Around 3 years into motherhood, I began to remember how much I loved art and poetry. I started to add a few of my passions back into my life. My husband started working four days a week. I took Fridays to dive back into my passions.

I began reading, writing, and small art projects. I purchased paintbrushes and acrylic paint and covered my home with murals. That turned into a small business decorating other’s homes. Then I started teaching moms homemaking, homesteading, and creative skills. We let our little ones play while we learned together.

There was one thing I didn’t do lots and lots of moms my age were doing. Spending time on TV and the Internet. I found when you have little kids, you’re going to be exhausted. The default can be turning on a show and putting them in front of a TV. We didn’t have a TV so that was never an option. I didn’t want that to be the example I set for my kids of adulthood. As parents, we are our children’s greatest teachers. The life we model for them is what their perception of adulthood is. Do we really want them to think being an adult is about working so much you’re exhausted and then starting at a screen watching other people live their lives the rest of the time?

As my kids reached school age, I started customizing their education around their passions. They take their passions seriously and become experts in their fields of interest. All of my kids start businesses in their early teens. Creativity and beauty has kept my children from becoming addicted to screens and technology.

Well-meaning family and friends have expressed concern my kids are missing out on aspects of “standardized” education. Yet my children have skills and talents kids in traditional school don’t have or have to wait until their 20s, 30s, or 40s to develop. I let them let go of things that are irrelevant and they’ll never need to know.

When a child’s education revolves around what they love, there’s no struggle or fight.

Our modern day workforce is all about skills, talents, and ability more than degrees and head knowledge. My children will be able to have specialized careers in their fields of passion. They’ve been studying since they were young and most of my children are making their own income before they ever move out as legal adults.

The way I raise my children looks very different from what you would see in a schoolroom because the childhood happening in our house looked like a lot of fun, adventure, exploring, creating, community, and more. Everyone is contributing their own gifts.

This is all because I set the model for them of pursuing my passions and letting it fuel my actions and career path. I want my children to look at the model I set of adulthood and be excited.

Today I have 15 children age 8-24. I delight in my teens and we have so much fun together. You have one life to live and it shouldn’t be boring. This is what I want my children to know and how I want their education to look. What about you?

Find my whole talk on this subject in the video below. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos like this.

Get a FREE Mom School bundle so you can dive into your passions.

Buy 2, get 1 free Mom-Schooling Bundles with the promo code B2G1MomSchoolBundles at https://www.funschooling.com/mom-school

Learn more-

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From Anna: “Start Your 10,000-hour Journey”
One Day There Was A Mom

Can You Fun-School With Textbooks and Box Curriculum?

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / 1 Comment

One of the top questions we get is how to combine our journals with textbooks and boxed curriculum. We hope this information will help you learn how to do just that in your homeschool!

  • What is meant by boxed curriculum?
    • These are curricula put together w/ a specific schedule, scope/sequence, and structure. 
    • It is the most “traditional” method of homeschooling. 
    • They may or may not actually come in a box 🙂 
    • May cover one subject or be a set curriculum for multiple subjects
  • Textbooks
    • Most often used for middle and high school
    • Can be used in younger ages too
    • If your student is college-bound, many families like to use some textbooks to get their students used to them
      • We have college students use our journals to document their learning, organize notes, and make things more fun! 
  • How to Fun-School with these materials
    • You don’t need a textbook or other curricula to Fun-School. Most often families come to Fun-Schooling and want to use up what they already have so they look to combine.
      • All you need are library books, documentaries/podcasts, and sometimes internet access.
      • There are about 30,000 of you on the group and thousands more who aren’t here. 
      • Everyone does things a little differently and that’s great! 
    • One option is to use a core/pocket core journals to document learning on lots of subjects. Works great w/ textbook or curriculum.
    • Many families like to use the curriculum as a loose guide and prefer to have their students go at their own pace and use the journals to answer questions, make notes, etc. 
    • Choose journals that go along with the subject you’re studying. Check the video below for suggestions on journals to use for each subject alongside your preferred curricula or text book.

Make sure to join our Facebook group and then click below to watch!

What questions do you have about Fun-Schooling with textbooks and boxed curriculum? Do you have any tips for other families? Share in the comments!

Learn More-

Fun-Schooling + 9 different educational methods

Fun-Schooling Fashion, Arts, and Culture | October Journals on Sale Now!!!

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

This month, we’re talking about Fun-Schooling Fashion, Arts, and Culture.

Scroll to the bottom to find the sales!

Homeschooling fashion design is a subject many Fun-Schoolers are interested in

Fashion

We have four journals about homeschooling Fashion. Students will have plenty of chances to design their own clothing in all of these journals. For students who are really serious about fashion design, consider the PDF versions so they can have more blank forms to fill in.

  • The World Wide Fashion School– travel the world and learn about fashion and culture in over a dozen countries
  • Time Travel History – Fashion Dreams– Explore how fashion changed from 1800 to 2030.
  • Design a Dress– Create 75 different outfits!
  • DIY Fashion Design– Our most flexible fashion journal. Full of blank pages to make notes and design items. Students also love to use this as a portfolio by pasting in photos of fashion items they’ve sewn. (currently out of print, any of our other “DIY journals” are the same inside

Find them at https://www.funschooling.com/homeschooling-with-fashion

Arts

There is no wrong way to Fun-School the Arts!

We incorporate art into all of our journals and think art is a critical piece to learning. For our discussion it is visual art, music, theater, and dance- I also include writers as artists & creators!

We have several arts journals, here are some of our most popular-

Culture

Easily travel the world and other cultures from the comfort of your own home

Our journals make it easy to introduce your child to people and cultures around the world. We have dozens of options to help your family do just that. Here are a few of them-

  • Book of Dance– 40 types of modern and traditional dance worldwide.
  • World Tour– Students study an animal, instrument, and country for each letter of the alphabet.
  • Adventures Around the World– Learn about life, people, nature, inventions, historic events, cool places and unique attributes of dozens of different countries.
  • Travel Dreams: 30 Fascinating Cities–  This book leads you on a scavenger hunt though each city as you imagine planning your trip to each place.

Join our private Facebook Group to check out a Peek Inside of 12 of this month’s theme journals-

ON SALE

Paperbacks & E-Books – 15_% off

PDFs – 50% off

BOGO

We have several codes for Buy One Get one FREE through October 12th. Find all the details here

What questions do you have about Fun-Schooling fashion, culture, and the arts?

What resources are your students (or you) using alongside these journals?

Help other moms out and let us know in the comments.

How to Fun-School with Reggio Emilia

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

What is Reggio Emilia?

  • An educational philosophy developed in the 1960s
    • Named after the town in which it was developed
    • Founded by Loris Malaguzzi who wanted children to have a more holistic education after the war
    • Similar in many ways to Montessori and Waldorf
    • Come to the US in the 90s

Main Focuses of a Reggio Emilia education

  • Teachers learn with children
    • Teacher/sparents are seen as guides and the primary learning is child-led
    • Suggestions are only made if the child asks for them
  • Play-based, especially in the younger years
  • Self-directed
    • When a child expresses interest/curiosity in a subject/topic, that is what the child is invited to explore
  • Education is highly focused on involving and engaging all the senses
  • Children are given control over their learning
    • Lots of project-based learning
    • Documentation is important, learning journals are kept and utilized daily

Other tidbits

  • “Hundred Languages of Children”
    • Written by the founder and addresses how children are natural communicators and communicate through a variety of methods such as art, writing, drama, speech, etc
  • The classroom/learning environment is referred to as the “third teacher”
    • Space is kept clutter-free, organized, and full of natural materials
    • It is not a “prepared environment” like in Montessori, rather an environment children can play, learn, research, and grow.

How to combine Fun-Schooling with Reggio Emilia and peek inside Reggio Emilia-friendly journals
Make sure to join our Facebook group and then click below to watch!

What questions do you have about Reggio Emilia? Do you have any resources to share on the Reggio Emilia Method? Share in the comments!

Learn More-

Fun-Schooling + 9 different educational methods

Minecraft Month is Here | Save on All of Your Favorite Journals!

/ Sarah Janisse Brown / Leave a comment

“Homeschooling with Minecraft seems too good to be true.” – We hear this from kids time and time again. It is our delight to offer Fun-Schooling journals tapping into kids love of Minecraft while covering all the major school subjects!

This month, we’ve put our most popular Minecraft paperbacks and all Minecraft PDFs on sale!!

You’ll find journals for beginners all the way through teens with this sale. Even a couple journals Moms love!

30% off– Paperbacks

50% off- PDFs

Our monthly theme sales last all month long. Take a peek at our upcoming themes for info on what’s coming soon. And make sure to vote for what you want to see on sale on the Facebook group.